Inevitable
by ShellSueD
Summary: The 100-word challenge.
1. Chapter 1

The shrill ringing of the telephone cut through the silence of the night like nails scraping across a chalkboard. He bolted up in bed, the sound making him shiver. Stretching over the mattress, his eyes fell on the clock. 2:43am burned like a fire and he squeezed his eyelids tightly together against the pain as he answered.

"What is it?"

"_Ranger."_

His chest constricted at the sound of Tank's voice. It was tense, like a coiled spring on the verge of snapping.

This was the call he knew would come, the one he dreaded.

_The one he feared._

"It's Stephanie."


	2. Chapter 2

From _**Meyzen: ****"**Awesome as always, but what a cliffie! Could I issue a challenge of my own to you? How about another couple (or more) chapters, only 100 words each, to put us out of our misery. Pretty please?"_

**Challenge accepted.**

Also, for the impatient **_Jago Ji, _**and the rest of you who requested (demanded) more. Thanks for reading. :)

* * *

Her bedroom was in complete disarray; whatever had gone down was bad. _Very bad. _She fought hard against her attacker.

The dresser was turned over on its side, the contents spilled onto the floor in a mass of tangled clothing. The nightstand was also flipped, the lamp which normally sat on top of it smashed into pieces, but the worst part, the one that had his cognitive abilities ceasing to function, was the bed.

The rip in the sheets went all the way through to the mattress. _And the blood._ There was so much blood the thick, coppery smell was burning the inside of his nasal cavity.

"Ranger." The massive weight of Tank's hand came down on his shoulder, jarring the vision of the horror in front of him. "Morelli just arrived."


	3. Chapter 3

Ranger knew Tank was speaking, could hear the low rumble of his baritone reverberating in the room, but his brain wouldn't filter the noise into anything comprehensible. The sight before him was one straight from a nightmare; one that plagued him frequently. On _this_ night the dream had turned into a terrifying reality and he couldn't seem to process what was actually happening.

"And Junior's family is on the way to the hospital." Those words finally coalesced into understanding, bringing Ranger's head around.

Junior had been assigned as her guard. He'd missed his last check in and control had dispatched a backup. Ranger didn't know how he would explain to Junior's parents their son nearly had his head taken off by a lunatic hell bent on getting to Ranger through the people who worked for him.

_And through the person he loved above all others._

Blood. There was too much fucking blood.


	4. Chapter 4

"I'm not dealing with Morelli," Ranger insisted and they were both surprised at the rasp of his voice. It sounded like he'd been screaming for the better part of an hour.

_He had, but not out loud._

"I don't think you have a choice. He's been assigned as lead detective." Ranger ran his hand through his hair, not missing the slight tremble of his fingers. Neither did Tank.

"We're going to find her," he said gently, "but first we have to deal with the cops and then get to the hospital. I'll head off Morelli to give you a few minutes."

He left Ranger standing in the mess of her bedroom and when he was out of sight, his heart twisted painfully in his chest making it difficult to even draw a breath. It was as if Tank's mere presence had been holding him together by rapidly fraying seams and now that he was gone they'd burst apart, spilling every shattered piece out into the universe.


	5. Chapter 5

He sank to his knees, no longer able to stand. His lungs burned and he forced out unstable, erratic puffs of air. He wasn't one to panic, never had been, but this was about as close as he'd ever come. He knew he couldn't afford to lose it, not now, when she was out there somewhere, hurt or…

_Not_ finding her wasn't an option. She was the only one who would be able to put him back together again.

With only a sheer force of will, Ranger concentrated on getting his breathing back to a normal cadence. He inhaled slowly and held the air in his lungs for a count of three before exhaling and doing it all over again. After he began to feel like he wouldn't pass out if he stood up, he started to push to his feet when a glint of something in the carpet near her bedside chair caught his eye.

He reached for it, having to slide his fingers slightly underneath, and they closed around the cool metal of the diamond ring she hadn't removed since he'd slid it on her finger months before.


	6. Chapter 6

Ranger clenched the engagement ring tightly in his fist. There were only two reasons she would have taken it off and he didn't want to consider either one. Not able to even look at it, he slid it into his pocket and moved out of the way of the crime scene unit who'd enter her bedroom with their equipment.

As he travelled down the hall, he heard Joseph Morelli's voice. He hadn't seen the cop in a while and wouldn't have cared if he never saw him again, so _of course_ he was assigned to the case.

The detective was speaking to Tank while another unit dusted the living room and kitchen for prints. Ranger knew they wouldn't find any that didn't belong.

Morelli stopped mid sentence and turned his hard and unyielding gaze to Ranger's face.

"You'll need to answer some questions," he began, dropping his eyes to his notebook. Flipping a page he went right for the jugular. "Can you verify your whereabouts between the hours of midnight and two-thirty this morning?"

"You gotta fucking be kidding me." Tank was incredulous at the implied accusation.

"The boyfriend or husband or…_fianc__é_ is always the first place we start looking."


	7. Chapter 7

_AN:These chapters have been more in the 200 word range than 100, I hope no one minds. Thanks for following along._

* * *

Ranger had to utilize his breathing trick again before he could respond. He knew Joe didn't actually believe he had anything to do with it and that was the only thing keeping Ranger from tearing him to shreds.

With his hands curled into fists against his thighs, he bit out an answer. "I was at home, asleep. The video surveillance proof can be delivered to you within the hour. Have you started questioning her neighbors?" Tank already had a RangeMan team assigned to that task but there couldn't be enough bodies out there searching for her to suit him.

Morelli let anger flit across his face at the inquiry before he slammed his blank face back in place. "I know how to do my job. Are there any…"

He was cut off by the sudden ringing of a phone. _Stephanie__'__s_. All eyes scoured the room but Ranger's landed on it first, imbedded between the cushions of the couch

"Call control, have them start a trace," he commanded as he snatched up the mobile phone. He waited with Morelli's protesting eyes on him until he got the signal. He swiped right and answered it on speaker.

The voice was low and gravelly but they heard every word. "_You took mine__ and so I have taken yours.__"_


	8. Chapter 8

He knew this would happen. _It was inevitable._

He'd prepared for it, steeled himself for what would come from letting her in, and this was the price he had to pay.

At the beginning he tried to keep her outside his multi-layered walls of defense. He did things; he said things, many stupid and hurtful words to push her away, to make her leave, to make her _hate_ him but she would not be deterred. Stephanie fought and tunneled and clawed her way through his barriers, right into the core of his heart. And once she was there, he knew he'd never allow her to leave.

Now, his greatest fear had been realized. Someone was using the love he'd tried so hard to deny against him, twisting it into a weapon to destroy his already tattered soul.

_Ranger ached to touch her, told hold her in his arms one more time._

Bile wretched violently to his throat as the call disconnected. He cut is eyes to Tank, but he was already shaking his head. _Too short to trace._

"Outside," Morelli said. "Now."


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: I know this is torture, but answers are coming soon. Thanks for all the great reviews and for sticking with it._

* * *

Ranger followed him out of the apartment and down the stairs to the parking lot, expecting another fight. There wasn't time for it now and Joe should know that. The clock was ticking on Stephanie's life and he didn't want to, but Ranger would put the man in the hospital again if he tried to get in the way.

He was surprised when Morelli unlocked his SUV and slid behind the wheel. Perplexed, Ranger climbed into the passenger seat and closed the door.

"I know you're not involved but I have to follow procedure," he said immediately. "Do you know who it was on the call?"

Unfortunately the list of his enemies was extensive and Ranger didn't even know where to begin the search. He shook his head and Joe pressed his lips together in a tight line before continuing.

"This is probably a long shot but…Abruzzi."

Ranger's spine stiffened. It had never been discussed between them but he was well aware Joe knew what had truly happened to Eddie Abruzzi.

"When that whole thing was going down I heard an obscure rumor which I disregarded at the time but _after_…I casually looked into it to satisfy my own curiosity. The story was he had a lover in Newark, a man, and the relationship endured over several decades. It took a bit of digging but I confirmed it. Abruzzi visited him twice a week, every week...even after the guy went to prison."

Ranger felt his eyebrows raise and the next thing out of Joe's mouth sent a cold ripple down his spine. "He's been locked up for eight years but three months ago, he was released on parole."


	10. Chapter 10

It probably _was_ a long shot, but it was a place for Ranger to start. "I'll need a name."

"I kept a file," Morelli replied. "I'll get it to you as soon as the crime scene unit finishes here."

Ranger nodded as a tiny kernel of hope began to bloom inside his chest. "Why are you doing this?"

It was no secret the two men held nothing but contempt for one another and the last time they had a conversation, after the black eye, the broken ribs and the stitches, he didn't think they'd ever be sharing air space again, let alone working together.

Joe cut his eyes away and stared out the windshield. He speared his fingers through his overly long black hair, pushing it off his forehead, and let out a slow breath. "Because despite everything…I'll never stop caring about her."

He exited his vehicle without another word and Ranger watched him climb the stairs until he disappeared from view. Tank's massive frame stepped out of the shadows of the building a second later.

"We have a lead," Ranger let him know as the two men met in the middle of the parking lot. "But we're gonna need Hector and Zip."

"They're already on the way."

"Good." He dipped his hand into his pocket and finding the ring, he rubbed it like a talisman and silently called out to her.

_Hold on, Babe. I'm coming for you._


	11. Chapter 11

_AN: I will be out of commission for the next few days and unable to post. Many many apologies._

* * *

They arrived at the hospital too late.

Bobby and Lester were there with Junior's parents and the small shake of Bobby's head told Ranger that Junior did not survive the attack.

He needed to speak to them, to offer condolences and make sure they knew he would find whoever did this but he turned and fled the room. It was his fault they would now have to bury their son and he couldn't handle the devastation flooding their eyes knowing he was the cause of it.

Tank was on his heels as he pushed outside. He needed to run, he needed to hit something he needed to _cry_, but Ranger did none of those things. He stood in the parking lot staring at the rising sun and pondered how it could still shine when Junior was dead, when Stephanie was...

"You need to get back in there," Tank spoke quietly at his back. "His family..."

"I know," Ranger cut him off. "I just need a minute."

But that minute was not to be as Hector and Zip appeared, seemingly from nowhere.

They were the two best trackers he had ever known and if they couldn't help find her, no one could.


	12. Chapter 12

_AN: An extra long one for the extended wait time. Thanks for all the reviews._

* * *

"Junior?" Zip asked before anyone else said a word.

Tank shook his head and Ranger watched Hector's expression darken. He knew it well as it mirrored his own.

"We have a place to start on Steph," Ranger told the men, needing to focus on anything other than Junior.

"I know," Hector said, "we just ran into Morelli, he gave me the file. His name is Marco Alcaraz. He's worse than Abruzzi ever was - in and out of prison since he was sixteen. Everything from gun running to sex trafficking to aggravated assault but the last one he got sent up for was kidnapping and torture."

Ice filled Ranger's veins and his fingers curled into tight fists as he tried not to think about what Stephanie was probably going through.

"We've been scouring her history…and _yours_," Zip added. "There are some flags, but nothing that fits like this."

Ranger nodded. "Do we have an address?"

"Two," Hector said, "but he won't have her at either one, they aren't remote enough. I need to dig deeper on the info Morelli provided."

"And I'm going check them out anyway and start questioning known associates and relatives," Zip said.

Zip was an expert at extracting information from unwilling participants.

"Tank, you go with Zip," Ranger instructed. "I need to handle things here and then I'll find you."

They moved as one, each headed to their respective tasks when Ranger's phone rang. Everyone froze as he snatched it off his belt and eyed the display. It was a blocked number, just like what had come through on Stephanie's phone.

He answered the call and the first thing he heard was muffled breathing and then a very faint and whispered, _"Ranger,"_ stopped his heart.

There was no mistaking the voice. "Tell me where you are."

"Not sure...the woods, maybe. There are animals. I keep hearing animals. He doesn't know...he doesn't know I have his phone. I'm sorry, I..." He was straining to hear her, pressing the phone so hard to his ear he thought it might break.

Stephanie inhaled sharply and her next words caused a wave of nausea. "_He's coming!"_

And then she was gone, but didn't disconnect the call.

"She left it open," he said to Hector. "The line, it's still open. Please tell me you can track this."


	13. Chapter 13

Ranger's focus shifted into seek and destroy mode as the four men huddled around Hector's laptop. The flashing green light in the center of the screen was the target and he was already putting together a plan when Zip spoke.

"There aren't any roads so unless he has access to a helicopter, he hiked in on foot. We'll need at least two teams."

"Three," Ranger corrected.

"He had to have had help so we can't know how many we're dealing with," Hector pointed out.

"Expect the worst. Get four teams together and have them ready to roll in ten. Zip, stick with your original plan and scout out the two addresses here and find out any info that might be of use."

Zip nodded and took off while Hector and Tank left to assemble the men.

When he was alone, Ranger made the call he didn't want to, yet he knew it was the right thing to do.

Morelli answered on the second ring. "We have a location but I need time."

Joe was silent on the other end before he replied, "I can give you a thirty minute head start."


	14. Chapter 14

"He's bringing SWAT, but he's giving us some time," Ranger informed Hector as he followed him into the dense crop of trees lining the last of the paved road off of route twelve.

"SWAT isn't equipped for this," he said quietly. "They are about overcoming by force. This needs subtlety and most of all, the element of surprise. I hope what she did with the phone hasn't been discovered..."

He didn't have to say it, Ranger knew what they were up against and not thinking about what would happen, what he'd do to her if he found out was the only thing keeping him from losing it completely. After the call from Zip, he'd nearly broken his hand putting it through the wall at the hospital and it did nothing except get him an armed escort out of the building.

_"He's been following you for weeks. Both of you. The whole apartment is covered with surveillance photos."_

How had he missed it? He, of all people, should have picked up a tail, especially one lasting that amount of time. He'd gotten too relaxed, too comfortable in his life with Stephanie and let his guard down. And now she was paying the price.

Hector put his hand up, making a fist and halting their progression into the forest. He crouched low to the ground, inspecting something hidden in the foliage. "Trip wire," he said a second later and stood, turning his camouflaged torso back towards Ranger. "And blood. A lot of it."


	15. Chapter 15

I've unfortunately been suffering through severe lack of free time and a bad case of writer's block and the lack of frequent updates to this story (and others) is the result. I apologize for leaving you hanging for so long, especially for this story. I _have_ managed to finish it and instead of torturing you and dragging it out for 15 more short chapters, I have condensed them all into this one long conclusion chapter.

_Thank you to everyone who has left me a review. It is because of you that I continue to try and write. _

* * *

They found the body near another booby trap. The man was badly injured, had been left for dead and was clearly _not_ who they were looking for. "His partner in crime?" Tank queried.

"Probably," Ranger replied. "We know he had to have had help and there are most likely more."

"This was Junior," Hector stated as he kneeled beside the fallen man, inspecting his wounds. He shrugged at Tank's skeptical look. "You know he didn't go down without a hell of a fight."

Ranger turned away from the body, knowing Hector was right. He'd seen Junior before they took him to the hospital and it was clear he'd tried very hard to fend off the attackers. He swallowed the emotion gathering in his throat and asked how close they were.

"A mile," Hector informed them, "according to the GPS." Ranger watched the little green dot flashing from the device in Hector's hand and tried to quell the need to run the rest of the way. They had to go in as quietly as possible and running didn't lend itself to silence, especially through all the _obstructions_ they had to watch for.

Bobby tapped his ear piece as he cut his eyes to Ranger. "Ram just reported in. They found another bear trap and a tripwire rigged with enough C4 to take out half the forest. This must have taken weeks to set up...good thing SWAT didn't get here first; they would've been dead in ten minutes."

Ranger nodded once. He suspected what they'd find and it's why he asked Morelli for time. Fortunately, he and his men had extensive experience traversing through minefields fields such as these. "Let's go. Keep your eyes open for more traps."

He dipped his finger in his pocket as they moved and clutched her ring as they hiked further into the trees.

Hector's hand signal halted their progression fifty feet from the target. A huge section of the forest had been flattened and in its place, several small buildings had been constructed. According to Lester's team, who'd taken out two sentries to get inside, one contained a variety of farm animals. That explained what Stephanie had heard.

There were three building left to clear and Ranger dispatched the other teams to begin, saving the one every instinct he had told him contained Stephanie, for _his_ team.

A sudden piercing scream filled the thick air surrounding them and sent Ranger into a full-blown run. Ignoring the calls of protest from his men he burst through the single door of the main house with his Glock leading the way. He took out two men with swift shots to the heart and when he rounded a corner only the sight of Stephanie hanging from the ceiling by shackles secured around her wrists gave him a second of pause before he squeezed the trigger and put a bullet in Marco Alcarez's brain.

The man had been wielding an oversized metal shiv, ready to add another hole to her skin and the weapon, along with his body, fell to the floor before either could do any more damage to the woman he loved.

Ranger hadn't even heard his men come in behind him but suddenly they were there and helping to cut Stephanie down. She was breathing but not coherent and he cradled her head while Bobby inspected her wounds. "She's lost a lot of blood. We need to get her out of here, now, and not on foot."

"I've already radioed for a chopper," Hector announced. "ETA ten minutes."

Ranger wasn't listening to anything but the raspy breath coming from her lungs. As long as he could hear that, he knew she would make it. He held her against his chest while Bobby bandaged what he could and Ranger whispered to her to hold on. _"You're fine, Babe. Everything is okay. Stay with me now."_

SWAT and the medivac chopper arrived at the same time. There was a minor argument when the EMT team tried to keep Ranger from riding with her but was quickly diffused by the co-pilot giving up his seat to the man who he thought will kill everyone if they didn't let him on board the bird.

As he was lifted in the harness to the hovering helicopter, Ranger's last vision of the horrifying scene was Joe Morelli barking orders to the SWAT team.

Upon arrival at the hospital they forced him wait in the lobby and he was barely holding it together when Bobby and the rest of the teams arrived. Security had been called when Ranger began making threats and they were barring the doors that led to the only place he wanted to be.

Tank took control of the situation and got the guards to back down by promising he would keep Ranger from hurting anyone or destroying any property. When they eventually left, Tank clasped Ranger's shoulders in his enormous hands and peered into his bloodshot eyes. "This isn't helping. I know you need to be in there but if you don't get yourself under control they will kick you out and then you won't be able to see her at all."

He knew Tank was right but every single molecule in his body was pulsing with anxiety. "She needs a guard on the door...she needs..._.me." _Or he needed _her_ was probably more accurate.

"She's gonna be fine," Bobby insisted. "Steph is a survivor, but you gotta let the doctors do their thing."

"We have the building surrounded," Zip added. "No one is going to get in that shouldn't be here."

That was what finally got Ranger to settle, at least as much as he was going to. Knowing they were watching the building and no one would be able to get to her while her body was being repaired kept him from tearing apart the waiting room.

When the staff eventually allowed him into her room, the sight of her heavily bandaged body nearly made him cry out but he held it in and went to her side. She was still unconscious but he clasped her hand in his anyway, willing her to awaken even as he began to plan how to extricate himself from her life.

The list of enemies who wanted to cause him immeasurable pain was extensive and hurting Stephanie, taking her away from him, would be what could bring him down.

Too many people knew that weakness. Too many knew the one thing in his life Ranger would die to protect.

To keep her safe he shouldn't be with her anymore. His heart twisted painfully beneath his ribs as he squeezed her fingers one last time.

Before he could let go, Stephanie's weakened voice rasped out a whispered word that held him frozen at her hospital bedside.

_"Don't."_

He lifted his eyes and fell into the deep blue depths of hers. "Don't what?"

"Don't leave."

Ranger kissed her hand and leaned over to do the same to her chapped lips. "I'm not going anywhere, Babe."

"But you _were_. I could see it on your face. You think this is your fault and you think the answer is to not be in my life. You've probably also been chastising yourself for getting so close to me in the first place."

He had no doubt she had more to say but a broken cough halted her exposing of his every thought. It was one of the many things that made him love her. Stephanie could always see right through the facade he built to hide his true feelings from the rest of the world. He lifted the cup of water from the table next to the bed and helped her take a sip through the straw.

"I won't let you," she continued after taking a drink. "We've worked too hard for this; we've come too far to let anything tear us apart. I'm gonna marry you Ranger, and despite everything, whatever obstacles we still have to face, we'll do it together."

He felt the tears stinging the backs of his eyes but he blinked them away and bent his head again to kiss her lips. He did it gently, softly and when he separated their mouths he knew she was right. How could he have even thought he could survive without her at his side?

A life without her wouldn't be worth living and he knew that. He'd known it since the day they met.

Without responding, Ranger reached into his pocket and retrieved her ring, sliding it back on her finger where it belonged.

"You found it! I knew you would. I took it off to try and keep him from knowing..."

"It didn't matter, Steph. He already knew...I don't want you to take it off again, ever."

"I won't," she promised and brought his hand to her cheek. He cradled it in his palm and said a silent thanks to God or whatever deity had brought her into his life and pleaded with them to let him keep her.

They would have a tough road ahead of them, Stephanie wouldn't handle it well when she leaned of Junior's fate and she would hate being in the hospital while she recovered from her injuries and she was going to argue with him when he refused to let her out of his sight for the foreseeable future, but as she'd said, whatever lay before them, they would handle it together.

And as much as he tried to deny it, he didn't want it any other way.


End file.
